User:Webb/New linux server - Revision history

Webb at 15:55, 8 December 2025

2025-12-08T15:55:26Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:55, 8 December 2025
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	:''This is ~~a WIP updated version of the Linux dedicated server article. I want to ask for feedback before moving out of my user namespace. The original article was adapted and revised from~~ a guide written by Raizo, the original of which can be found ~~here:~~ https://blog.raizo.dev/posts/tf2-classic-linux-server-tutorial/''		:''This article is based on a guide written by Raizo, the original of which can be found [https://blog.raizo.dev/posts/tf2-classic-linux-server-tutorial/ here].''

	== Reading this article ==		== Reading this article ==

Webb at 15:53, 8 December 2025

2025-12-08T15:53:46Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:53, 8 December 2025
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	* At least 20GB of free storage		* At least 20GB of free storage
	* A minimum of a 10Mbps upload speed if you intend on hosting a server over the Internet, more will be needed if you host custom content		* A minimum of a 10Mbps upload speed if you intend on hosting a server over the Internet, more will be needed if you host custom content
			* An opened port on your firewall for the server
	* ''Optional'': An SSH/SFTP client if doing remote access/file management		* ''Optional'': An SSH/SFTP client if doing remote access/file management
			* ''Optional'': A port that's been forwarded for the server if you wish to have it accessible over the internet

	<sup>*</sup> This guide was written for and tested on Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS Minimal. Other distros may use different package names and conventions.		<sup>*</sup> This guide was written for and tested on Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS Minimal. Other distros may use different package names and conventions.
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	Make sure the server type is set to “Internet and LAN” if you want players outside your LAN to be able to join (you may need to port forward if you’re on consumer broadband or open ports on your firewall).		Make sure the server type is set to “Internet and LAN” if you want players outside your LAN to be able to join (you may need to port forward if you’re on consumer broadband or open ports on your firewall).

	Upload the generated ZIP file to your server using SFTP, unzip the folder ~~using:~~		Upload the generated ZIP file to your server, perhaps using SFTP, and unzip the folder.

	<pre>		<pre>
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	# systemctl enable tf2c.service		# systemctl enable tf2c.service
	</pre>		</pre>

			You may create as many services as you have TF2C servers but remember to name the service files uniquely. When modifying service files, remember to run <code>systemctl daemon-reload</code> before restarting the service.

	=== Automatic restarts using crontab ===		=== Automatic restarts using crontab ===

	As root, execute <code>crontab -e</code>. This will open a special file in your editor where you can ~~set cronjobs~~. ~~For example, adding the following line will restart your game server every day~~ at 04:00:		Cron is a program built into most Linux distros that runs scheduled commands.

			As root, execute <code>crontab -e</code>. This will open a special file in your editor where you can declare what jobs you want to run and when. Let's add a job to run at 04:00 that will restart our server.

	<pre>		<pre>
	0 4 * * * systemctl restart tf2c.service		0 4 * * * systemctl restart tf2c.service
	</pre>		</pre>

	You may create as many services as you have TF2C servers but remember to name the service files uniquely, enable them in <code>systemctl</code>, and add them to the <code>crontab</code>. When updating service files, remember to run <code>systemctl daemon-reload</code> before restarting the service.

	=== Manually managing services ===		=== Manually managing services ===

Webb at 16:41, 7 December 2025

2025-12-07T16:41:37Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:41, 7 December 2025
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	Pick a directory to install your server into. Many put it under a directory in <code>/opt</code>, but for this guide we'll be using <code>/home/srcds</code>.		Pick a directory to install your server into. Many put it under a directory in <code>/opt</code>, but for this guide we'll be using <code>/home/srcds</code>.

	Create a disabled user with ~~the~~ home directory:		Create a disabled user with a home directory.

	<pre>		<pre>
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	If everything went well, <code>srcds</code> should be installed and you should be back at your user shell.		If everything went well, <code>srcds</code> should be installed and you should be back at your user shell.
			Before we continue we'll need to fix some files.

	~~== Installing TF2C ==~~		Valve changed some shared object file names in the SDK, but the objects included with our install of SDK 2013 have not adopted the new names.
			Since these are simply renames, we can symlink them.

	~~We'll be downloading the archived verison of TF2C, since it's unlikely to get updates. You have the option of using TF2CDownloader, but we won't cover it here.~~

	~~<pre>~~
	~~$ wget https://wiki.tf2classic.com/archive/tf2classic-2.2.3.zip -O /tmp/tf2classic.zip~~
	~~$ mkdir ~/sdk/tf2classic~~
	~~$ cd ~/sdk/tf2classic~~
	~~$ 7z x /tmp/tf2classic.zip && rm /tmp/tf2classic.zip~~
	~~</pre>~~

	~~This will downloaded the latest archive of TF2C, create its directory, and extract it. If extraction succeeds it will delete tf2classic.zip.~~

	~~=== Symlinking improperly named shared objects ===~~

	~~Valve changed some shared object file names in the SDK, but the objects included with our install of SDK 2013 have not adopted the new names.~~
	~~Since these are simply renames, we can symlink them. We'll also do the same for TF2C's <code>server_srv.so</code> and SDK's <code>steamclient.so</code>.~~
	'''Your server will not start without doing this.'''		'''Your server will not start without doing this.'''

	~~Run the following commands to create the symlinks in the bin folder:~~

	<pre>		<pre>
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	$ ln -s vphysics_srv.so vphysics.so		$ ln -s vphysics_srv.so vphysics.so
	$ ln -s soundemittersystem_srv.so soundemittersystem.so		$ ln -s soundemittersystem_srv.so soundemittersystem.so
	~~$ cd ~/sdk/tf2classic/bin~~
	~~$ ln -s server.so server_srv.so~~
	</pre>		</pre>

	~~Next~~, we'll symlink <code>steamclient.so</code> to a special directory to prevent bugs.		Finally, we'll also symlink <code>steamclient.so</code> to a special directory to prevent bugs.

	<pre>		<pre>
	$ mkdir -p ~/.steam/sdk32		$ mkdir -p ~/.steam/sdk32
	$ ln -s ~/sdk/bin/steamclient.so ~/.steam/sdk32/		$ ln -s ~/sdk/bin/steamclient.so ~/.steam/sdk32/
			</pre>

			== Installing TF2C ==

			We'll be downloading the archived verison of TF2C, since it's unlikely to get updates. You have the option of using TF2CDownloader, but we won't cover it here.

			<pre>
			$ wget https://wiki.tf2classic.com/kachemak/tf2classic.zip -O /tmp/tf2classic.zip
			$ mkdir ~/sdk/tf2classic
			$ cd ~/sdk/tf2classic
			$ 7z x /tmp/tf2classic.zip && rm /tmp/tf2classic.zip
			</pre>

			This will download the latest archive, create its directory, and extract it. If extraction succeeds it will also delete the downloaded archive.

			We'll also need to do a quick symlink in TF2C's bin folder.

			<pre>
			$ cd ~/sdk/tf2classic/bin
			$ ln -s server.so server_srv.so
	</pre>		</pre>

Webb at 15:59, 7 December 2025

2025-12-07T15:59:15Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:59, 7 December 2025
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	</pre>		</pre>

	Next, we'll symlink <~~pre~~>steamclient.so</~~pre~~> to a special directory to prevent bugs.		Next, we'll symlink <code>steamclient.so</code> to a special directory to prevent bugs.

	<pre>		<pre>

Webb at 15:58, 7 December 2025

2025-12-07T15:58:30Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:58, 7 December 2025
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	<sup>**</sup> Using an x86 compatibility layer like Box86 for another architecture is unsupported and may not work.		<sup>**</sup> Using an x86 compatibility layer like Box86 for another architecture is unsupported and may not work.

	== Preparing for install ===		== Preparing for install ==

	=== Dependencies ===		=== Dependencies ===

Webb at 15:58, 7 December 2025

2025-12-07T15:58:16Z

Show changes

Webb at 15:41, 7 December 2025

2025-12-07T15:41:19Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:41, 7 December 2025
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	This will downloaded the latest archive of TF2C, create its directory, and extract it. If extraction succeeds it will delete tf2classic.zip.		This will downloaded the latest archive of TF2C, create its directory, and extract it. If extraction succeeds it will delete tf2classic.zip.

	=== Create symlinks to missing shared objects. ===		=== Create symlinks to missing shared objects ===

	Valve changed some shared object file names in the SDK and the objects we’re given have not adapted to the new names. Since these are simply renames, we can symlink them.		Valve changed some shared object file names in the SDK and the objects we’re given have not adapted to the new names. Since these are simply renames, we can symlink them.
	We'll also do the same for TF2C's <code>server_srv.so</code> '''Your server will not start without doing this.'''		We'll also do the same for TF2C's <code>server_srv.so</code> and SDK's <pre>steamclient.so</pre> '''Your server will not start without doing this.'''

	Run the following commands to create the symlinks in the bin folder:		Run the following commands to create the symlinks in the bin folder:
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	</pre>		</pre>

	~~We can also fix~~ steamclient.so ~~errors by symlinking~~ a ~~file~~ to ~~.steam~~.		Next, we'll symlink <pre>steamclient.so</pre> to a special directory to prevent bugs.

	<pre>		<pre>

Webb at 15:38, 7 December 2025

2025-12-07T15:38:49Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:38, 7 December 2025
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	== Prerequisites ==		== Prerequisites ==

	* A Linux server running Ubuntu Server<sup></sup> on an x86_64 CPU<sup>*</sup> with root~~/administrator~~ access		* A Linux server running Ubuntu Server<sup></sup> on an x86_64 CPU<sup>*</sup> with root access
	* A SFTP/SSH client (PuTTY, Termius, FileZilla, MobaXterm)
	* At least 20GB of free storage		* At least 20GB of free storage
	* A minimum of a 10Mbps upload speed if you intend on hosting a server over the Internet. More bandwidth may be needed if custom maps are used.		* A minimum of a 10Mbps upload speed if you intend on hosting a server over the Internet. More bandwidth may be needed if custom maps are used.
			* ''Optional'': An SSH/SFTP client if doing remote access/file management

	<sup>*</sup> This guide was written for and tested on Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS Minimal. Other distros may use different package names and conventions.		<sup>*</sup> This guide was written for and tested on Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS Minimal. Other distros may use different package names and conventions.
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	<pre># apt install nano</pre>		<pre># apt install nano</pre>

	Switch to the srcds user you ~~created:~~		Switch to the new <code>srcds</code> user you made, and run SteamCMD.

	<pre>		<pre>
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	Valve changed some shared object file names in the SDK and the objects we’re given have not adapted to the new names. Since these are simply renames, we can symlink them.		Valve changed some shared object file names in the SDK and the objects we’re given have not adapted to the new names. Since these are simply renames, we can symlink them.
	'''Your server will not start without doing this.'''		We'll also do the same for TF2C's <code>server_srv.so</code> '''Your server will not start without doing this.'''


	Run the following commands to create the symlinks in the bin folder:		Run the following commands to create the symlinks in the bin folder:
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	== Server Configuration ==		== Server Configuration ==

	~~Generate your~~ server ~~config(s) on~~ [https://cfg.tf/ cfg.tf].		For a basic, private server, you should only need to set a password in <pre>sdk/tf2classic/cfg/server.cfg</pre> by appending the file with <pre>sv_password yourpassword</pre>.
			You can also make it LAN-only by appending <pre>sv_lan 1</pre> in the same file.

			If you want a more complicated set up, consider using [https://cfg.tf/ cfg.tf]. If you don't need this you can skip to the next section.

	Make sure the server type is set to “Internet and LAN” if you want players outside your LAN to be able to join (you may need to port forward if you’re on consumer broadband or open ports on your firewall).		Make sure the server type is set to “Internet and LAN” if you want players outside your LAN to be able to join (you may need to port forward if you’re on consumer broadband or open ports on your firewall).
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	<pre>		<pre>
	[Unit]		[Unit]
	Description=TF2C		Description=TF2C Server
	After=network-online.target		After=network-online.target
	Wants=network-online.target		Wants=network-online.target
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	TimeoutStartSec=infinity		TimeoutStartSec=infinity
	Restart=always		Restart=always

	~~[Install]~~
	~~WantedBy=multi-user.target~~

	[Install]		[Install]
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	</pre>		</pre>

	You may create as many services as you have TF2C servers but remember to name the service files uniquely, enable them in <code>systemctl</code>, and add them to the <code>crontab</code>.		You may create as many services as you have TF2C servers but remember to name the service files uniquely, enable them in <code>systemctl</code>, and add them to the <code>crontab</code>. When updating service files, remember to run <code>systemctl daemon-reload</code> before restarting the service.

	=== Systemd manual start, stop, restart/update ===		=== Systemd manual start, stop, restart/update ===

Webb at 15:19, 7 December 2025

2025-12-07T15:19:41Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:19, 7 December 2025
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	Install SteamCMD, and miscellaneous packages that we'll be using.		Install SteamCMD, and miscellaneous packages that we'll be using.

	~~webbnote: libcurl4-gnutls-dev broken~~
	<pre>		<pre>
	# apt install dialog		# apt install dialog

Webb at 15:19, 7 December 2025

2025-12-07T15:19:15Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:19, 7 December 2025
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	</pre>		</pre>

	This will downloaded the latest archive of TF2C, create its directory, and extract it. If ~~everything~~ succeeds it will delete tf2classic.zip.		This will downloaded the latest archive of TF2C, create its directory, and extract it. If extraction succeeds it will delete tf2classic.zip.

	=== Create symlinks to missing shared objects. ===		=== Create symlinks to missing shared objects. ===
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	'''Your server will not start without doing this.'''		'''Your server will not start without doing this.'''

	~~Enter the bin directory by typing, exactly:~~

	~~<code>~~
	~~$ cd bin~~
	~~</code>~~

	Run the following commands to create the symlinks in the bin folder:		Run the following commands to create the symlinks in the bin folder: